Automatic release switch



NOV. 10, W. A. UPRIGHT E AL AUTOMATIC RELEASE SWITCH Filed NOV. 4, 1924 INVENTOR:

Ww'i'en A. V 797d;

James 1. 67:

Patented Nov. 10, 1925. I

UNITED STATES 1,560,954 PATENT, ornca.

WARREN A. UPBIGHT, OF HIGHLAND, AND JAMES F. SHERRILL, OF SAN IBERNABDINO.

. CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE SWITCH.

Application filed November 4, 1924. Serial No. 747,742.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WARREN A. Urmcn'r and JAMES F. SHERRILL, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Highland, California, and San Bernardino, California, both in the county of San Ber nardino and State of Ca ifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Release Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switches and more particularly to an automatic release switch which may be used for controlling the direction signals of motor vehicles.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic release switch for motor vehicle signals which may be closed manually before a turn of the vehicle is made in either direction, to cause the vehicle signal toindicate such turn and which will automatically open and release the signal so that the signal will restore it self to its initial ineffective position when the turn of the vehicle is made.

A more particular object is to provide an automatic release switch which will be simple in construction, positive in its action and eflicient in operation.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an under side plan view of a motor-vehicle steering wheel and our automatic release switch mounted on said steering wheel.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the switch with its cap and button plunger removed to show the spring contacts.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the switch taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the switch plunger,'arm and latch with the plunger depressed and held depressed by said latch.

Fig. 5 1s a view similar to Fig. 4 with the plunger held depressed by said arm.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the slotted end of said arm.

Similar characters of reference designate corres onding parts in all the figures.

In t e drawing 1 indicates a clamp which 1 extends over one of the spokes2 of the steering wheel 3 of a motor vehicle near the rim 4 of the wheel, the clamp being clamped on said spoke by a screw 5 extendmg through the ends of the clamp "inembers. On

the clamp 1 is secureda switch mountingJ 6. A switch button plunger 7 is slida ly mounted in a. bearing 8 in said mounting the coil 14 being above the coil 15. A disk 16 is secured on the up er end of the plunger 7 and a push button 1 is secured on top of said. disk, said button being of smaller diameter than said disk. The coil 14 of spring contact 10 engages the under side of disk 16 and normally holds the plunger 7 and button 17 elevated with said coil spaced above the coil 15, thus holding the switch open. A cap 18 is fitted on the top of the mounting 6 over the recess 9, enclosing the contacts 10 and 11, the cap being provided with a central aperture 19 through which the button 17 extends, .the disk 16 engaging the inside of the cap around said aperture and limiting the upward movement of the plunger 7 and said button under the influence of the springcontact 10.

The plunger 7 is formed with a conical lower end 20 and with a pair of diametrically opposed shoulders 21 and 22 at the base of said conical end, the shoulder 21 being located at a higher point than the shoul der 22. The-mounting 6 is provided with a recess 23 in the lower side thereof into which the lower conical end 20 of the plunger is wall 24, said swinging end being provided with a key hole slot 28 adapted to register with the aperture 25. The slot 28 is formed withan enlarged circular end 29 and witha narrower tail portion 30 extending from enlarged end, said enlarged end permitting the lower end 26 of the plunger to pass therethrough and said tail portion permi ting only the'stem of the plunger to extend therethrough. A guide 31 is secured to the lower side of the mounting wall 24 and extends over the lower side of the swinging end oi the arm 26 for guiding said swinging end and holding the same in position against the lower side of the wall 24. A latch arm 32 is pivoted at one end at 33 to the under side of the arm 23 near the swinging end thereof, there being a spring 34 coiled around the pivot 33 with one end oat the spring engaging a pin 35 on the arm 26 and the other end of the spring engaging a pin 36'on the latch arm 32, whereby the swmging end of said latch arm is caused to swing toward-the axis of the plunger 7 and key slot 28. A pin 37 extends from the swinging end of the arm 26 through a slot- 33111 the swinging end of the latch arm 32, which pin engages one end of said slot 38 to limit the swinging movement of the latch arm toward the axis of the plunger and slot 28 under the influence of spring 34.

A cam 40 is secured on the steering column 41 which cam is engaged by one end of a rod 42 which is connected at its other end at 43 to the arm 26. A yoke 44 is secured around the spoke 2 of the steering wheel 3 near the hub thereof, and is formed with a bearing 45 through which the rod 42 slides andis guided. A spring 46 surrounds the rod 42 bearing at one end against the yoke 44 and at its other end against a pin 47 on said rod whereby the inner end of the rod is held against the cam 40. I

The switch contacts 10 and 11 are included in the right signal circuit 50 of the vehicle which circuit also includes the usual source of electrical energy 51 and right signal light 52.

The operation of our invention is as follows: At about fifty feet before the corner where the automobile is to be turnedto the i right the button 17 is depressed by the driver which depresses the plunger 7. The depression of-the plunger causes the disk 16 to depress the coil 14 of spring contact 10 in contact with coil 15 of spring contact 11 and close the switch and the right signal circuit 50. The depression of the button 17 also causes the conical end 20 of the plunger 7 to pass downwardly through openings 25 and 28 in wall 24 and arm 26 respectively and engage the adjacent edge of latch arm 32, and swing said am to the right, until the shoulder 21. passes below the arm, where upon the arm is swung by its spring 34 to the left over said shoulder and against the stem of thcplunger. The engagement of said shoulder with the latch arm under the 23 and latch arm 32 to the right, until the tail portion 30 of slot 28 registers with the stem of the plunger 7, and the adjacent edge of the latch arm 32 disengages the shoulder 21, whereupon the plunger is elevated slightly by the spring contact 10 until the shoulder 22 engages the under side of the arm 26 at the end of the tail portion 30 of slot 28 thus still holding the plunger 7 and button 17 in lowered position and the switch closed by the engagement of contact coils 14 and 15..

When the automobile has made its turn and the steering wheel is turned back to its neutral position, theinner end of rod 42 rides back down onto the lower portion 54 of the cam 40 and the rod is forced inwardly by the spring 46, while the arms 26 and 32 swing back to the left until the enlarged it will be obvious that another switch may be applied to the steering wheel 3 for operating the left signal of the automobile as above described. 7

Moreover it will be obvious that the invention is not limited to the exact construction herein disclosed, but that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. In a switch as disclosed, a push button plunger, a pair of contacts, means whereby said contacts are brought into engagement by said plunger when depressed, a vlatch for engaging said plunger and holding it depressed with said contacts in engagement,

and to hold said contacts in engagement,

and means for swinging said arm in the other direction to release said plunger to allow it toreturn'to its initial position and said contacts to separate and open the switch.

2. In a switch as disclosed, avpush button plunger, a pair of contacts constructed and arranged to engage and close the switch when the plunger is depressed, a conical part and a pair of shoulders on the lower end of the, plunger, an arm formed with a keyhole slot through the enlar ed end of which slot said conical part an shoulders of the plunger may pass, a latch pivoted on said arm for engagin one of said shoulders when the plunger is epressed and said conical part passed through said enlarged end of said slot whereby the plunger is held depressed and said contacts held in engagement, automatic means forv swingin said arm in one direction to disengage sai latch from said shoulder and to slip the tail portion of said keyhole slot about said plunger so that the other plunger shoulder will engage said arm and hold the plunger depressed and the switch closed with said contacts in engagement, and means for swinging said arm in the other direction to bring the enlarged end of said ,keyhole slot into register with said plunger conical part so that said part may pass through said enlarged end to allow said contacts to disengage.

3. In a switch as disclosed, a push button plunger, a pair of contacts, means whereby said contacts are brought into engagement to close the switch when the plunger is depressed, an arm, a latch for engaging said plunger and holding it depressed with said contacts in engagement, 8, rod connected to said arm, a cam for engaging said rod to swing said arm in one direction to disengage said latch from said plunger and to cause the arm to engage the plunger and hold it depressed and said contacts in engagement, and a spring for swinging said arm in the other direction to release the plunger from said arm to allow the plunger to return to its initial position and said contacts to disengage when the automobile has made its indicated turn. I

4. In a switch as disclosed, a switch mounting secured on the steering wheel of an automobile, a push button plunger on said mounting, a pair of contacts in said mounting, means whereby said contacts are brought into engagement to close the switch when the plunger is depressed, an arm, a latch for engaging said plunger and holding it depressed with said contactsin engagement, a rod colmected to said arm, a cam on the steering column of the automobile for engaging said rod to swing said arm in one direction to disengage said latch from said plunger and to cause the arm to en age. the plunger and hold it depressed an spring-for swinging said arm in the other direction to release the plunger from said arm to allow the lunger to return to its initial position and said contacts to disengage when the automobile dicated turn.

WARREN A. UPR-I'GHT. JAi/res r. SHERRILL.

has made its insaid contacts in engagement, and a 

